The Toronto Maple Leafs will fight for his or her playoff lives once they come back from the Olympic break. Toronto continues to be within the hunt, as they’re only six points back of the Boston Bruins for the ultimate Wild Card spot. Nonetheless, they’re fighting an incredible uphill battle for that last spot.
The Maple Leafs might want to make some tough decisions once play resumes. Toronto could stand pat and hope its team pulls itself together down the stretch. Or they may do a little bit of an on-the-fly retool. They might trade a pair players who’re on expiring contracts and see what type of value they’ll get out of them.
Toronto already doesn’t have rather a lot when it comes to draft pick capital to work with. Years of being a dominant regular-season team will do that to any franchise. In a season that appears to be lost, recouping something for his or her free agents just isn’t a nasty strategy by any means.
The Maple Leafs didn’t need to be on this position, but that is how things have gone. With this in mind, who should Toronto dangle on the trade block this 12 months? Here is one player the Maple Leafs must trade before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March sixth.
Maple Leafs could get easy value out of Bobby McMann
The Maple Leafs have flashier players they may trade. An Auston Matthews trade could make some sense, though it won’t occur unless the team decides to blow all of it up. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is having an incredible season, so he might be on the trade block. Nonetheless, Bobby McMann might be a really under-the-radar value play.
McMann broke out with the Maple Leafs in 2023-24 season, scoring 15 goals in 56 games. The Wainright, Alberta native followed that up with one other impressive showing. He scored 20 goals for the primary time in his profession, while skating in 74 games. This season, he has been even higher.
McMann, 29, is third amongst Maple Leafs skaters when it comes to goals. Only Matthews and veteran John Tavares have scored more goals this 12 months. He’s one goal away from matching his goal total from last 12 months. And he’s on pace to flirt with the 30-goal mark this 12 months.
McMann is a excellent goal scorer who the Maple Leafs would love to maintain around. Nonetheless, there may be a ton of value available on the trade market. McMann is 29, but he’s also a rental. Moreover, he accounts for just $1.35 million against the salary cap.
This can be a player who can rating goals and may be very easy to suit into any team’s salary cap. Whoever acquires him through trade would even have the primary probability to sign him to an extension, as well. McMann is definitely due a raise, but at 29, he may not get the longest-term contract.
The Maple Leafs have to get all the worth they’ll get on the trade market. McMann could give them that value. He may not give them a first-round pick back. But he could net a second-round pick, or possibly a solid prospect. There are a number of ways this could prove, and just about all of them can be positive for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto goes to must be smart across the NHL Trade Deadline. In the event that they can discover a taker for McMann, they should pull the trigger before the buzzer sounds on March sixth.